Saturday August 24, 2019, 3pm – 5pm
Join us for an afternoon of music INSIDE the earth.
Seamlessly weaving together the ancient with the modern in a collaboration between sacred and world music, from the rhythms and hauntingly beautiful melodies of the South American Andes and the rainforest, Native American chants and modern lullabies for melting glaciers and ocean deities, to the spiritual visions and sung prayers articulated in cathedrals, ‘Mamalama Y Andes Manta’ is an uncommon, otherworldly and uplifting experience through music.
Mamalama is an ever-evolving, uncommon orchestration with song circles written for voice and European/Paraguayan harps, with piano, ethereal voices , traditional Native American/Andean flutes, hammered dulcimer, music boxes, harmonium, octave mandolin, charango and frame drums.
With elements of world music (West African, Celtic, Native American, Middle Eastern), early/sacred music, and classical minimalism, the originally composed pieces are a new kind of sacred music, and are as much contemplative practice as performance. Harpist/vocalist/songwriter Elizabeth Clark composes the music informed by her travels, both worldly and otherwise. The stories behind the songs are sourced from dreams, meditation, world mythology, and prayer.
Accompanied by the ethereal artistic sensibilities of soprano Annie Roland (Barely Lace, Vanaver Caravan), new music composer/programmer Henry Lowengard (Pauline Oliveros ‘Droniphonia’, Catskill Gamelan), and Andean flute/charango virtuoso Luis Lopez (Andes Manta), Mamalama has been described by Chronogram Magazine as: ” A stunningly beautiful, intoxicating sound that may lull you to a place of peace, if only you allow it….”.
Mamalama performs throughout the region, appearing in retreat centers, theaters and music festivals, within natural settings (caves, gardens, waterfalls, sculptures), as well as in many different forms of churches and sanctuaries. Listeners often recall the music of Kate Bush and Philip Glass, with undertones of Hildegard of Bingen and early polyphonic music.
Mamalama’s three live-recorded albums are Willows and Waves (2010), The World of Color and Light (2012), and Live at The Old Dutch Church (2016).
An Artist in Residence at Woodstock’s Byrdcliffe Guild, Mamalama’s front-woman Elizabeth Clark is currently composing “Seeds Under Nuclear Winter,” her first inter-disciplinary ‘earth opera.’ This large-scale production encompasses music orchestrated for a world music ‘pit’ orchestra, choir, and harps, as well as dance/movement, multi-sensory experience, and animated/acoustic moving visual art.
Andes Manta is a 4 brother ensemble from Ecuador who have been performing the traditional music of the Andes for over 30 years throughout the United States. They perform with over 35 traditional instruments including a wide variety of traditional Andean flutes (including some that are 6 feet long), charango, ocarinas, percussion, bandolin, and more. They have collaborated with artists like Paul Winter, as well as performed in spaces like Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The National Cathedral, among others.
The musicians of Andes Manta believe that through their music they bring a rare opportunity for cultural understanding between the people of their homeland, South America, and the people of modern North America. Although we know that Andean music has been played in South America for thousands of years, its beginnings have been lost in the mists of time. Just as the true origins of the native peoples of the Americas continue to elude us, the first players of this wonderful musical tradition remain an enigma.
Despite the mystery, this vibrant and powerful music continues to be played from Colombia to Tierra del Fuego, and none play it better than the four Lopez brothers who make up Andes Manta. Fernando, Luis, Bolivar and Jorge bring this unique art form to North America in its purest and most authentic form. Natives of the Ecuadorian Andes, the brothers learned their traditional folk music as it has been learned for thousands of years — passed from father to son, and brother to brother.
Andean music is one of the few authentic prehistoric culture forms to survive the five hundred years of European occupation of South America. Unlike gold and jewels, it could neither be melted nor stolen. Many indigenous South Americans believe that it is the music that preserves the heart and soul of the ancient ones. Far from being melancholy, the music of Andes Manta is a joyous celebration of daily life. Songs and festivals mark the blessing of a house, the birth of a child, and the cycles of planting and harvesting. Energetic music and dance animate religious festivals blending pre-Colombian and Catholic rituals.
Andes Manta brings the Andean universe to North American audiences. They are well known to presenters all over America for their virtuosity and extraordinary performances. From Carnegie Hall to the Discovery Channel, from the National Cathedral to Lincoln Center and in hundreds of schools and universities their powerful and moving performance has played to standing ovation after standing ovation. To quote presenter Stephanie Korobov, SUNY New Paltz; “The crowd would not let them stop… these guys are magic.”